Espionage into my kitchen

Tag Archives: Chocolate

I’m all about pumpkin this time of year! I had 3 pumpkins worth of puree, and these blondies were some of the goodies that we enjoyed from said puree. The recipe is a one-bowl wonder, found and adapted from Crazy for Crust, and comes together super fast. The resulting blondies are perfectly spiced, and their texture is just perfect!

Pumpkin Spice Blondies

Yield: One 9”x13” Pan

Ingredients:

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9”x13” pan with aluminum foil and grease generously. Set aside.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. Use lightly dampened hands to press the batter evenly into the pan. Bake until the edges are lightly browned and the center looks slightly under baked, 18 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan itself. Remove from pan, slice, and serve.

We made them for Eid, and literally everyone raved about them! It’s so funny how the most successful things we made come from hilarious circumstances. The reason I made this particular cookie (Recipe from Hungry Girl Por Vida) was because I had 2 jars of almond butter just hanging out in my pantry, and this was my attempt at putting some of it to use.

I’ve still got a bunch leftover, so it looks like almond butter chocolate chip cookies are in our near future 😉

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: Approximately 30 Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ¾ cups brown sugar

2/3 cup almond butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and set aside two parchment lined baking sheets.

In a large bowl, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add brown sugar and almond butter and beat just until combined. Add eggs, one at time, whisking until thoroughly combined. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Whisk in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the cookie dough out using a cookie scoop or about 2 tablespoons worth of dough onto the baking sheet, placed 2-inches apart. Bake until the edges begin to brown, about 11 to 13 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

I’m sure many of you have the same banana problem as me- that there’s always a few left towards the end that are too brown and spotty to be eaten as is. I always have 2 or 3 left, and more often than not, they’re used up in my favorite banana bread (I still need to share that recipe!).

These muffins are great not only to snack on, but also for breakfast! The muffin itself is not too sweet, and the streusel topping adds the right amount of sweetness and crunch.

Banana Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins

Yield: 12 Muffins

Ingredients:

For Streusel:

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons brown sugar

½ tablespoon ground cinnamon

For Muffins:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup sugar

1 egg

3 ripe bananas, mashed

3 tablespoons yogurt

Directions:

Make Streusel:

In a small bowl, combine and mix all ingredients for streusel. Set aside.

Make Muffins:

Preheat oven to 425°F and set aside a greased or lined muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter, sugar, and egg. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add bananas and yogurt, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, take care not to overmix.

Divide the batter into the muffin cavities, filling at least ¾ full. Place a spoonful of streusel on top of each muffin, and lightly press down.

Bake the muffins for 5 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350°F and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, an additional 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack and cool completely.

You guys, my favorite day of the blogging year is here- Eid Eats 2017 is officially live! Ramadan is rounding out, and I love that us food bloggers band together to celebrate the blessed month! I, along with my cohost, Asiya of Chocolate and Chillies, are excited to see the yummies that are being brought to the party 😉

The party is live from now until June 24, so you’ve got some time to get in on the fun (the guidelines can be found here).

By the Grace of God, Eid Eats is in its 4th installment (2014, 2015, and 2016), and this year we have some fun in store for you all, but more on that later 😉

Click on this graphic to submit your entry for #EidEats2017. You can also click on it to check out all of the delicious bites our participants are sharing.

This year I’ve decided to attend this party in my finest attire, bearing Baklava Biscotti! I was inspired by a recipe shared by the genius blogger behind Brewing Bliss. I used a mish-mash of recipes, including the topping from Brewing Bliss, and the base of the recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. The resulting biscotti is a treat for the senses! It’s nutty, chocolatey, not tooth-breaking-hard, and downright irresistible! The end product results in a decent-sized batch (and is a great make-ahead item!), perfect for your Eid entertaining needs 🙂

Preheat oven to 300°F and set aside two parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Spread almonds evenly over one baking sheet, and bake for 15 minutes, stirring twice during that time. Remove from oven and pulse the almonds in a food processor or blender until coarsely chopped.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives, until the mixture is crumbly. Fold in the almonds and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and mix together until moistened.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough gently until soft and slightly sticky. If the dough is too sticky to handle, knead 1 or 2 more tablespoons all-purpose flour into the dough.

Divide the dough in two. Place each half on a baking sheet. Using floured hands, gently shape each piece into a 8 or 9-inch log, patting down to ½-inch thickness. Lightly brush the slabs of dough with prepared egg wash.

Bake until the top and sides are lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.

Cut each slab into 1-inch slices. Set the slices cut-side upwards, ¼-inch apart, on the baking sheets. Return to oven and bake for 9 minutes. Flip each biscotti over and bake for an additional 9 minutes. The centers of each biscotti will be slightly soft, but will crisp up after cooling. Cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make Topping:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place nuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place in a small bowl. Add honey and butter and mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a separate bowl in the microwave or double broiler until smooth.

Dip the top of each slice of biscotti in melted chocolate, and then top with nuts. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet or cooling rack to allow the topping to set.

***

This biscotti pairs very well with a cup of piping hot tea- which brings me to the question: How does tea play a roll in you and your family’s Eid festivities? For my family, tea is a must! No celebration, especially Eid, is complete without trays of piping hot chai being passed around and enjoyed. Chai is the icing on the cake, so to speak, after a day of celebrating.

Speaking of chai, Tea India teabags are an excellent choice to quench your tea needs. They use only top notch ingredients and recognize the importance of quality packaging. Also, did you know that Tea India teabags come in four unique flavors, so there’s something to suit everyones taste? They include: orange pekoe black tea, masala chai, cardamom chai, and ginger chai.

Now, the fun part that I mentioned a little bit earlier- Tea India has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway in honor of Eid! The winner of the giveaway will be sent a Tea India prize pack which includes a box of Cardamom Chai, Ginger Chai, and Masala Chai. Also included in the price pack is a set of coasters made from recycled Tea India teabags handcrafted by a group of South African women from a local township.

Open to Residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec) aged 18+ only. Winner will be randomly picked and emailed and will have 48 hours to respond. If they fail to do so another winner will be picked. Entrants can enter on multiple blogs but can only win one prize. Blogger is not responsible for delivery of prize. This giveaway is not associated with Facebook or Twitter.

Mis Amores! I’ve missed you! It’s been a busy summer, and now that school has started (my son started kindergarten! Crazy!), we’re on a tightly packed schedule.

Soon after Eid ul Fitr, the kids and I left for California to prepare for my brother’s impending wedding festivities. To say the wedding was amazing would be an understatement. Like, understatement of the century.

We’re back now, and in the thick of a standard school year. Although the summer was fun, it is nice to be back home and into a normal routine. It’s nice to have some predictability.

While in California, I got the chance to test out some amazing new recipes. Luckily for me, my mom and brother are both amazing taste testers. I’m excited to recreate some of the stellar recipes that were tested.

Now onto today’s recipe- Chocolate cream cheese frosting. A few days ago I was asked to bake some cupcakes for an Eid ul Adha kids gathering. Surprisingly, I was low on butter but had a few packages of cream cheese (very strange in my home!). I wanted to try my hand at something different, and I’ve seen recipes floating around for a chocolate take on cream cheese frosting. I adapted this recipe and came up with this fabulous frosting! It’s slightly tangy with an amazing chocolate kick. It’s an amazing alternate to regular buttercream!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: Enough To Frost 2 Dozen Cupcakes

Or a 2-Layer Cake

Ingredients:

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

6 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

Directions:

Place cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl, and using a whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and whip on low speed until incorporated. Add cocoa powder and whip on low speed until incorporated. Increase speed to high and whip until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, remembering to scrape the sides of the bowl along the way.

Use as needed.

Refrigerate leftovers.

Note: Frosting may be made and frozen in advance. To use, simply leave on the counter and bring to room temperature. The frosting may need to be whipped lightly to bring back t original consistency.